


The Light Awakens

by SperaStella



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Dark Rey (Star Wars), F/M, Hurt, Implied/Referenced Torture, Movie: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Secrets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29266293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SperaStella/pseuds/SperaStella
Summary: For years, Rey Palpatine has been secretly groomed to become her grandfather’s heir. It’s a life she did not ask for, nor was it one she wanted. Promised to a man she despises and with Luke Skywalker’s location within reach, Rey makes a choice that could change the fate of the galaxy.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 16
Kudos: 47





	The Light Awakens

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BatuuPrincess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatuuPrincess/gifts), [Draco_sollicitus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draco_sollicitus/gifts).



> I debated very long and hard about posting this. I even debated posting it anonymously, but given there aren’t many of us who write Damerey, that seemed like a fool’s errand. So...this is dedicated to two of my favorite writers who have inspired me not only to write but also to share my writing with all of you. Thank you.
> 
> This was my original concept for my fic [One Day at a Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27231577/chapters/66522037), but I got stuck along the way and ended up putting this to the side.

_This will begin to make things right._

_You have to hide._  
_You have to leave._

_You take this, it’s safer with you than it is with me._  
_I’ll come back for you, it’ll be alright._

_Look how old you’ve become._  
_Something far worse has happened to you._

_So who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?_  
_The old man gave it to you._

Rey Palpatine waits in her chambers. For years she had lived in the shadow of her grandfather, enduring countless tortures masked as training in order to develop her powers. When Sheev announced his intention to join her to Kylo Ren so that they might ascend to the throne of the Sith Eternal, she almost killed her newly betrothed on the spot. 

Kylo was an immature, hotheaded, brute who displayed no finesse or care in the galaxy for anyone but himself. The only reason he agreed to the union in the first place was that it would give him more power. The thought of being joined to a man who threw temper tantrums when things didn’t go his way was sickening. It was just another link in a long chain that seemed to bind her to this life she did not ask for, nor one she wanted. 

At the sound of a notification on her holo, Rey stands and walks briskly out of her room toward the interrogation block

Now that Kylo had returned from Jakku, it wouldn’t be long until he and grandfather found Luke Skywalker, killed him, and forced this union upon her. She had long feared this would be her death knell. Over the years, it had taken all her strength to keep a quiet place in her heart locked away, a place where she yearned to be free, away from the violence and death and pain brought about by her family. With these most recent developments, however, it seemed like her fate was sealed. The quiet place she kept hidden would be ripped from her like everything else in her life. She would no longer be Rey, only Empress Palpatine would remain. 

The door to the interrogation chamber swooshes open and she finds Kylo inside looming over a prisoner. Rey slowly enters the room, keeping herself hooded in the back as she watches him question the man.

“I had no idea we had the best pilot in the Resistance on board.”

Kylo doesn’t even acknowledge her presence.

“Tell me, where is the map to Skywalker?”

“The Resistance will not be intimidated by you,” scoffs the prisoner. 

She notices lacerations and bruises up and down the Resistance fighter’s body. He has a kind face and looks like he would have led a simple life, perhaps on a farm, had he not been dragged into this decades-old war. No doubt Kylo had the interrogation droid working on him long before he bothered questioning the man. Unnecessary cruelty is just another reason she despises her betrothed. 

Kylo raises his hand above the prisoner’s face. 

“But you will submit,” he sneers.

The quiet place in Rey’s heart cries out in pain. She watches the prisoner scream and thrash in agony against his restraints caused by the mind-ripping torture unleashed by Kylo. She knows that pain all too well, grandfather was never shy about using similar techniques during her own training. 

The Resistance fighter endures far longer than she would have ever imagined for someone like him, but eventually, he does break. It feels like Rey’s whole world breaks alongside him. Kylo sweeps out of the room without even bothering to address her. He’s off to tell grandfather the map to Skywalker is located within a droid on Jakku. It wouldn’t be long now. Looking at the prisoner, Rey can’t help but feel a connection. They are both shackled to a fate that seems all but certain to destroy them. 

And then, inexplicably, that quiet place in her heart pulls upon her. 

It’s subtle and unfamiliar, a feeling more than anything.

Surely this is impossible? Her hand trembles. She steps forward toward the man in front of her and takes a deep breath. For the first time, Rey feels the Force in a new way, flowing through her, through him, and through every living thing on the ship. It surrounds them, penetrates them, and binds them together. 

Closing her eyes, she breathes deeply once again.

The feeling beats louder, calling to her.

Rey’s eyes snap open. With a flick of her fingers, the prisoner’s restraints are released. 

“Come with me,” she says, grabbing him by the arm and leading him down the corridor. Thankfully, the hangar bay isn’t too far from the interrogation block. When a squad of stormtroopers nears, she pulls him into a maintenance alcove.

“Can you fly a ship?” she asks.

The man is still in a partial haze when he answers. “What? Why?”

Rey rolls her eyes and pulls down the hood of her robe to reveal her full face to him. “This is a rescue, I’m helping you escape. Can you fly a ship?”

She watches his pupils expand as he takes in the sight of her. His brown eyes are soft and warm as he gazes upon her. It’s something completely new and unexpected. Her lips part ever so slightly and time stops for a moment. Swallowing deep in her throat, she repeats her question. “Can you fly a ship?”

“I can fly anything.”

“Good,” she nods, turning back towards the corridor to check and see if the stormtroopers have finished their patrol. 

“Wait, why are you helping me? Aren’t you Kylo’s servant or whatever?”

Her temper flares and she whips her head around. “I am NOT that man’s servant or acolyte or...anything!” 

“Okay, okay.” He holds up his hands defensively as if to surrender. “But that still doesn’t explain why you’re helping me.”

“Let’s just say I have my own reasons for wanting to get away from the First Order.” She once again turns away from him and checks to see if the corridor is clear. 

“Okay, well, do you at least have a name?” 

_Kriff_ , this resistance fighter really doesn’t give up, does he? 

Rey turns around a second time and stares at him for a moment. Even under her intense gaze, his eyes stay affixed to her own. She could kill him in an instant, but his resolve remains steadfast and unwavering. There is a strength about him she finds intriguing and the unfamiliar feeling subtly pulls on her once more.

“Rey,” she sighs, leaning into the feeling. “I’m Rey.”

A short smile grows at the edges of his lips.

“I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.”


End file.
